Earwigs (Dermaptera) from the Mesozoic of England and Australia, described from isolated elytra

Earwigs are rare in the fossil record, with the oldest described species Brevicula gradus Whalley, 1985, from the Lower Lias (Lower Jurassic) of England. We examined previously unstudied and hitherto unrecognised earwig specimens, consisting predominantly of islotated elytra, from the Late Triassic to the Early Cretaceous of England and Australia, most of which are in the collection of the Natural History Museum, London. As a result, new taxa have been discovered and are being described. Phanerogramma heeri (Giebel, 1856) was named more than 150 years ago and there has been much confusion over its correct taxonomic placement. Originally it was thought to be either a homopteran or blattodean and was subsequently redescribed and placed within Coleoptera by Cockerell (1915), so it has had quite a turbulent history. Only now has its correct identity been established, based on a number of specimens from different localities.